Published November 08, 2009 04:09 am - HUDSON – Sometimes, the bright lights of the big stage can get to a team.
Nerves get best of the Beavers Slow start dooms Riverside in regional title match
STEVE GOLDMAN Star Beacon
HUDSON – Sometimes, the bright lights of the big stage can get to a team.
It happened to the Riverside volleyball contingent on Saturday afternoon, at least in the first two games. In this case, the “big stage” was the regional finals of the Division I regional tournament at Hudson High School, with a trip to the state tournament at Wright State University in Fairborn on the line. Stow-Munroe Falls, which has a successful tradition in the sport, came away with a 25-16, 25-21, 22-25, 25-20 victory to end Riverside’s great season.
Despite the loss, the Beavers (24-4) not only set a new school standard for the best tournament finish, but also equaled the best result by an area team in Division I history. Coach Stan Bielech’s Geneva Eagles also reached the Class AAA regional final round in 1985.
“We went out and some of our girls were afraid,” Riverside coach Stacy Sepelak said. “Nerves got to them.
“I think all in all, Stow definitely handled (the pressure) better and played better. They were able to take us out of our game.”
For the first two games, that is. The Beavers did put things together after that, but needed to win the three remaining games to advance.
“I just think they took us out of our game early on,” Sepelak said. “We were able to regroup in Game 3, but when you’re down two games, it’s tough no matter who you’re playing against, especially at this level.”
The Bulldogs (15-11) proved to be too tough a foe for Riverside to make that comeback. With great passing that seemed to leave them temporarily in Game 3, and some big spikes by Charlotte Sykora, Jackie Close, Lexi Stefanov, Colleen Bonacci and Jenna Chilinski (10 points), all of whom except the latter are either one or two inches taller than the Beavers’ tallest spiker, they were able to close the deal.
Stow never trailed in the first game, and pulled away gradually. Four of Jayne Nagy’s team-high 10 points gave the Beavers an 11-9 edge after an early Game 2 deficit, and then the lead changed hands twice, with Riverside up 16-14.
At that point, a Close ace spike provided a sideout, and libero Lizzy McDade served for three of her match-high 18 points and an 18-16 lead. Eventually, a Sykora ace spike followed by a Sykora point gave the Bulldogs the game after Riverside had rallied to cut it from 23-18 to 23-21.
Taylor Jaros, who was little-used in Riverside’s recent matches, came off the bench late in Game 2, and helped to solidify her team’s effort the rest of the way.
“We kept switching the lineup and then finally (in) Game 3 it worked,” Sepelak said.
“Taylor did extremely well. We knew that was a lineup we had; when the other lineup was working, we didn’t change it. But when it wasn’t working, we knew we could go to Taylor and switch that lineup.”
Game 3 saw Stow grab an 8-5 advantage on six McDade points. But three of Meredith Widecan’s eight points and three more by Nagy put Riverside in front, 17-14.
The Beavers pushed the advantage to five twice, but Stow eventually got within 23-22 on a Chilinski ace spike and a pair of Chilinski points. However, a Widecan ace spike followed by her own service ace gave Riverside the game.
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